Really Takes the Cake
by TheVillageOfBree
Summary: After being on the brink of starvation for the first nineteen years of her life, Qwenn Tabris really likes to eat. Who can honestly blame her? Alistair/Tabris


Alistair had never felt a greater sense of relief wash over him than when the Arl of Redcliff finally opened his eyes again, their efforts hadn't been in vain and Andraste's Ashes had brought the man back to life. The family was overjoyed and requested, nay _demanded_ , that the Wardens and their companions spent the night in their castle and stayed for the celebratory banquet the next evening. While they still had much to accomplish, the temptation of a real bed for the first time in a long time was too much and Qwenn felt it would be much too rude to decline their request. The ex-Templar thought on his fellow Warden with much respect, he was so thankful for the efforts she made to keep the closest thing he had to a family safe, she was caring and gentle, but also had some dark memories he had been unable to coax out of her. He stood in the main hall of the castle amongst a gaggle of party-goers, very few of which he actually recognised, he was wearing some sort of formal attire Bann Teagan had found in a closet somewhere and while he was glad to be out of his armour, he couldn't help thinking it was all a bit too uppity for his tastes. Zevran seemed to be enjoying himself, he was off on the other side of the room running his fingers through the hair of some woman that Alistair didn't know, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Alistair?" Teagan asked, coming up next to him, "Where is the elf? Your fellow Warden?"

Alistair blinked, "Qwenn? I…uh…I thought she was here?"

"She was, but she just disappeared."

Alistair chuckled, "Yeah, she does that."

"Arl Eamon was going to make a speech, but there isn't much point without her here."

"I'll go have a look for her. Keep an eye on Zevran, I think he's up to something."

Teagan nodded and quickly started making his way towards the Antivan whose hands were lingering far too close to Lady Isolde's buttocks to be considered accidental.

The Grey Warden wandered the halls of the castle for a while without catching so much as a glimpse of Qwenn, he started searching near the guest rooms and even poked his head in through her open door, unable to hold in a chuckle at the state of her bed. Everyone knew she was a rough sleeper, always moving around, one night Alistair had pitched his tent too close to hers and was kicked square in the jaw through two layers of canvas. Her sheets and blankets were in complete disarray and one pillow was lying on the floor. He shook his head with a smile and continued his search. It took him a good ten more minutes to find her, he made his way back down to the first floor and opened the only door he had yet to walk through, the door to the banquet hall. As the door closed behind him he heard plate clatter to the floor and looked up to see her standing over one of the many tables with a half-eaten slice of cake in one hand and a pastry in the other.

She stared at him for a few seconds, her brown eyes wide in shame and embarrassment. Alistair had never seen her dressed so extravagantly, wearing a velvet mossy green dress with gold embroidery around the hem and her short blonde hair arranged in a noble updo. In stark contrast to the beauty of her attire was the chocolate frosting her chin and lips were covered in and the look of pure horror on her face. A delicate blush spread from her cheeks to the tips of her pointed ears.

"mhhhhhmmmm" She said, trying very hard to speak around the massive bite of cake in her mouth and an avalanche of crumbs spilled down the front of her dress. She swallowed and tried again, "…hello."

Alistair smirked and leaned against the doorframe, "Ahhh, Qwenn Tabris, caught in the act. You do realise that the banquet doesn't start until _after_ Arl Eamon thanks us for our services?"

She took a bite of the pastry this time and gulped it down, "I got lost, I swear! But when I came in here and saw all this…all this _magnificent_ food, what was I supposed to do? _Wait?_ "

"That is exactly what you were supposed to do."

"Alistair, I don't think you understand." She said while picked up another slice of cake, two pastries and a custard tart, "look at all this food!"

"I can see the food, Qwenn. I may not be the brightest man in Thedas, but I know food when I see it."

"But there's so much of it! I've never seen this much food in my _life._ I mean, maybe once but I wasn't actually allowed to _eat_ it." She started chewing another pastry and moaned softly, "Maker…These pastries are _divine_. You have to try one!" She hurried over to him, quickly shoving one into his hands and watching expectantly as he took a cautious nibble.

He sighed, content, "Ah…okay, yes. That is a _very_ good pastry, but Maker's breath, Qwenn…how many have you eaten?"

She shrugged, "Six or seven. I can't remember the last time I had cake…oh, I must have been what…four years old?" Her eyes lit up as she remembered it, "It was the one and only time I escaped the Alienage, prior to becoming a Grey Warden of course. I don't quite remember how I managed it, but I've always been very good at sneaking away."

"I've noticed." Alistair said with a grin.

"Good to see my talents are appreciated." She said with a smile, "Anyway. I somehow found myself outside the Alienage and just started wandering around and I can't remember for the life of me how it happened, but I ended up in the noble district, just imagine that! A tiny elven girl with her hair in pigtails wandering around the noble district, ha! Eventually I found my way into one of the homes, no one noticed me following them in and I just walked around inside the absolutely gargantuan house, absolutely no idea what to do. That is, until I found the kitchen."

She smirked mischievously and Alistair laughed, "Oh no."

"Oh no, indeed. It turns out that who ever lived there was planning some sort of party because the servants were cooking up a storm! Every surface was covered in food, enough to sustain everyone in the Alienage for _months_ there were pies, roast pork, fruit salads, at least seven different types of cheese and then, sitting between a stuffed turkey and ten bottles of wine…there it was." She paused for dramatic effect, "A decadent, four layer, white chocolate cake, decorated with sugar flowers and iced in pinks and greens, _Maker_ _that cake_. I remember waiting around until no one was watching and diving in face first, it was the most amazing thing I'd ever eaten and I couldn't imagine going back to stews and stale bread back home. I ate that cake so damn quickly that id made my way halfway through before someone found me."

"Didn't go down too well, I take it?"

Qwenn shrugged, "It went down fine for me, actually. I was discovered by an elven servant who took one look at my thin frame, pointy ears and big sad eyes before ushering me out the back door so I wouldn't be caught." Her expression suddenly became sombre, "I didn't notice at the time, but as I began walking back home, the nobles who owned the house found the elf and the half-eaten cake. They blamed her for it, I could hear the yelling and pleading but I was so young I didn't understand they were hurting her, I didn't even understand that _I_ could have been hurt. When I eventually made it home my father was so worried, he pulled me into the tightest of hugs and I swear I could feel him crying. I didn't understand back then, to me I had just gone on a harmless adventure and eaten some amazing food, but my father thought he had lost his only child, he'd already lost my mother and he couldn't bear to lose me as well. I never left the Alienage again after that."

Alistair's eyes softened, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I didn't have the best life back in the Alienage there were some bad days." She seemed visibly haunted for a second before regaining her composure, "some _really_ bad days. But for the most part it was fine, I had a family and friends who cared for me. I wouldn't have asked for more."  
Alistair couldn't help brushing a stray lock of hair behind Qwenn's ear, she looked at the ground meekly and he smiled, "If you ever want to talk about the _really_ bad days, I'm willing to listen."

She smiled at him, "Maybe someday. But right now I just want to enjoy my food and the pleasure of your company." She shoved a whole pastry in her mouth and chewed it quickly, "thank you for listening by the way."

Alistair shrugged and his eyes were drawn to the frosting on her chin, the rich chocolaty brown standing out against her pale skin, "You've got a little something there." He said, gesturing to the frosting.

She turned pink, "Maker's breath, I'm such a messy eater." She swiped the right side of her chin with her thumb, "did I get it?"

"No. other side."

"Uhhhh…" She tried again, "better?"

Alistair tried to hold in a smirk, "lower down." She missed again and Alistair couldn't help laughing, "Let me do it, Qwenn."

She pouted, but didn't protest as he brushed his finger across her chin, she shuddered slightly under his touch and he wasn't sure why, "Got it." He said with a smirk, unable to resist the urge to lick the frosting from his fingertip, it was good. It took a second for him to notice Qwenn's expression, her brown eyes wide and fixated on the finger he had to his lips, Alistair suddenly felt very self-conscious.

"…What are you staring at?"

She gulped, her eyes not moving from his lips, "I want to kiss you." She breathed. Alistair's heart started racing. They had kissed before, several times but the pure _want_ in her voice made all the blood in his body race to his cheeks, "Would that be okay?"

The Grey Warden blinked dumbly for a second before stammering out an awkward, "…better than okay."

Her small hand cupped his cheek, her thumb gently caressing his cheekbone before her lips met his in a tender kiss. He smiled against her lips and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, pulling her flush against him. The sudden movement caused her to stumble and laugh quietly to herself before burying her hands in his hair and kissing him again, firmly this time. Alistair couldn't help the low grumble that escaped him at the feeling of her lips on his and the way those deft hands tugged at his hair, suddenly, out of nowhere, her tongue brushed against his closed mouth and he jumped. Qwenn pulled away with a nervous look on her face.

" _Andrastes's knickers_. Wasn't I supposed to do that? I'm sure that's what Shianni told me to do…I'm sorry."

Alistair smiled and rested his forehead against hers, "you didn't do anything wrong. You just…startled me. I mean, I know I seem very manly and strong but I am surprisingly easily startled."

Qwenn laughed, it was an ugly sound, but one he had grown accustomed to. Very throaty, with the occasional snort added in for good measure. While it wasn't an attractive laugh, it was certainly a genuine one and that was all that mattered.

"Should I…keep doing it then?" She asked almost sheepishly and Alistair kissed her quickly.

"Please do."

Qwenn stood up on her toes and flung her arms around Alistair's shoulders, tugging him down to meet her lips. His eyes fluttered closed and rested one hand on her hip while the other tried to tug away the pins that were holding her hair in place so he could run his fingers through it. She did that thing with her tongue again and Alistair's heart began to race, his fingers pressed firmer against her hip as his tongue hesitantly met hers. He felt, more than heard, her gasp softly at the contact. She tasted like the frosting she had just been eating and her lips were soft and warm, her hands were pressed firmly against his chest now, a little _too_ firmly.

"Ouch!" Alistair exclaimed as he stumbled backward and thunked his head on the wall behind him.

Qwenn blinked up at him and was clearly preparing to apologise, but never had the chance. Because Alistair just laughed it off and kissed her again.


End file.
